If ever there were a summer to go house-boating, this is it! Shasta Lake—house-boating capital of California and maybe the world—is as full of water as regulators will permit it to be, allowing boaters to pull right up to shore and walk off onto land. The lake’s 360 miles of jagged shoreline are indented with cove after cove where you can anchor out in solitude or bob in the company of others.
As for houseboats: Pick what suits your style and pocketbook, from stripped-down models that resemble cabins on pontoons to floating palaces that can handle a party crowd (think water slides, hot tubs, big-screen TVs, gas fireplaces, outdoor kitchens—you may even want to hire a private chef).
Houseboat rentals on Shasta are available from several marinas, and dogs are accepted (for a nonrefundable deposit) on most vessels. The five houseboat rental companies operating on Lake Shasta include Antlers Resort & Marina, Bridge Bay Resort & Marina, Jones Valley Resort, Shasta Marina at Packers Bay and Silverthorn Resort. You can compare models and pricing on their websites. Given this year’s ideal conditions, many dates are already sold out, so don’t delay!
So, you might wonder, how does house-boating work with dogs on board?
Most boaters anchor to the shore at night and for the better part of the day, so it’s easy to take Buster out to do his business (but do pick up after him). If your dog urinates on deck, find a hose or a bucket and wash the dock down. When you’re on a dock, your dog of course has to be leashed.
